Another day, another article. Today the crew at the House that Hank Built makes some bold predictions for the Atlanta Braves in the 2024 season.
The participants are once again: Chase Owens, Eric Cole, Fred Owens, Gaurav Vedak, Mitchell Barbee, Sage Broda, Shayne Nissen, Steven Teal, and myself Trent Dickeson.
Let's have some fun and make some bold predictions for our favorite team in 2024. What did we come up with? Well, you are in luck because the answers are right below!
Bold Predictions for the Atlanta Braves in 2024
Chase: I’m taking my Spencer Strider NL Cy Young pick one step further. My bold take for the Braves in 2024 is that Spencer Strider wins the Triple Crown. It hasn’t been done in a full 162-game season since 2011 when Verlander did it for the Tigers and Kershaw did it for the Dodgers respectively. I feel confident in the strikeouts, and the wins are random but very doable given how good the Braves are. The biggest longshot is the ERA title, but I think Strider will ultimately get the job done after a magical 2024 season.
Eric: I think Ronald Acuna Jr. is going to make a run at the real Triple Crown this year. He is just such a unique talent who plays free and fast and relishes making an impact with every swing and every throw. Once he cut his strikeout rate down last year, it was inevitable that he was going to do something we hadn’t seen before. I don’t see him repeating 40/70 because I think teams are going to try to corral him on the basepaths more, but I also think his overall season might be better in 2024 culminating with a Triple Crown and another MVP.
Mitchell: Michael Harris will finish top-5 in MVP voting. If he’s just slightly more selective on swing decisions, he could be one of the league’s best hitters, even without walking a lot. Couple that with great speed/baserunning decisions, and excellent defense and it will be very difficult to find players better than Money Mike.
Sage: I believe this is the year Matt Olson takes another step behind the plate. After some tweaks to his plate approach, Olson became a much more consistent hitter for contact. After a full offseason with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, I believe his swing will finally be quick enough to reach all areas of the zone while protecting off the plate. Look for Olson to be an MVP with over 55 homers. Also look for his average to be above .295, more on par with his second half of last season.
Gaurav: 50/50 from none other than Ronald José Acuña Blanco Jr. along with back-to-back MVPs.
Austin Riley is putting himself on Gold Glove Watch 👀 https://t.co/VOjofEiCmd pic.twitter.com/gLiJ7mzZq1
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) March 15, 2024
Steven: I think Austin Riley has a real shot at winning MVP in 2024. He’s been heading towards that path each year. His hitting continues to get better and his defense is on the cusp of being Gold Glove-worthy. I know he shares the field with Acuña, who could easily run away with it again, but Riley just seems like he has a real shot at surprising everyone.
Fred: I agree with Steven; if Riley goes crazy he could win the HR title and MVP. I also think Sale pushes 3.5 WAR and 200 strikeouts this season.
Shayne: Well Steven and Fred beat me to my original pick for this, an Austin Riley MVP, so I’ll add something maybe even crazier. He wins a gold glove in 2024 to go along with the MVP. I think at the very least if he continues his upward trajectory with the leather, he’ll be a finalist. And winning it over the likes of Arenado and Machado, two of the best fielders we’ve ever seen at third base, is a big ask, but it’s called a bold prediction for a reason right?
Trent: For most of this series, I enjoy getting to go last as I am putting everything together. This edition is actually the toughest because I see everyone else's predictions before putting mine together. I want to say Ronnie pushes a triple crown en route to a back-to-back MVP or even a healthy Chris Sale could push 3.5/4 fWAR. I will try to find something different for the sake of things and will say the Braves hit MORE home runs in 2024 than they did in 2023. I think they soar past the 307 from last year and they will hit at least 325!
What are your bold predictions for the Braves in 2024?
Some fun predictions from our end! A lot of them end with players either holding the MVP trophy, whether again for Ronnie, or for the first time like Riley or Olson. We also have a big prediction for our mustached ace Spencer Strider. Chris Sale was also shown some love and hopefully, he can regain some of his previous magic.
What about the rest of the community? What are some bold predictions you have for the team in the upcoming season? One thing is for sure, this team is always good at providing fans with the unexpected.